These Habits On The Road Are Likely To Cause A New Haven Auto Accident
March 10, 2023
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been driving for, we’re all human and we all develop habits over the course of our time driving that might be less then optimal for avoiding a New Haven auto accident. The first step in figuring out how to break a bad habit is to know you have it and understand why it is a bad habit. You can’t stop doing something that you don’t know is dangerous or detrimental to your safety.
For many of us it has been years, if not decades, since the last time we have taken any sort of safe driving course. These courses are designed to teach us all how to drive in the best way possible to avoid an accident, but if you’re twenty or thirty years or more removed from your safe driving courses you may have forgotten some of the strategies that were provided to you and also developed bad habits over the course of those years.
Bad habits form without you even knowing it. You may be driving along one day and start doing something that all of a sudden becomes the way you drive every day after that, even though it is not the safest thing to do. It is important that you think about how you’re driving and do it safely so you are not forming bad habits and are keeping yourself and your passengers safe. Think about some of these bad habits below and if you are doing them, work on improving or eliminating them so you can have the safest ride possible.
1.) Distracted Driving. This is a bad habit that can creep in without you knowing it. It might start out with you going to a drive-thru and picking up lunch one day and then it turns into checking a text message that comes into your phone and before you know it the distractions are piling up and you’re not paying close attention to the road in front of you. Being distracted when you’re driving is one of the most dangerous things you can do and could lead to serious accidents that cause injuries or even worse, death.
2.) Following the car in front of you too closely. You may be in a rush. You may be frustrated with the speed that traffic is going. These are all justifications you might use to follow the person in front of you too closely, but there really is no justification that makes sense to do this bad habit. If you start to tailgate the person in front of you you will be putting yourself and your passengers at risk of getting into a serious accident. Rear-ending a vehicle because you were following too close is an entirely avoidable accident and one that you should really work hard to prevent. If you find yourself falling into this bad habit, remind yourself that 2-3 car lengths is a good distance to keep between you and the car in front of you and if you do that you will likely have enough stopping distance in the event that traffic slows ahead of you.
3.) Speeding. Who among us hasn’t let our speed creep up past the speed limit? Speeding is one of the most dangerous habits you can get into and if you end up getting into an accident it can cause your injuries to be far more severe. This may not be a simple habit to break because it is such a common thing that most people do, even if they don’t always admit to it, but it is one of those habits that you can work on over time. Take note of the speed limit on the road you’re traveling on and make sure you are aware of how many MPH over the speed limit you are traveling. Try to bring that speed down closer to the speed limit and if you have to, do it gradually so you can maintain a good speed and break your habit. Excessive speed is one of the things that causes the worst accidents of all.
Bad habits are hard to break, most anyone will tell you that. Bad habits that might lead to New Haven auto accidents are nothing to mess around with and should be addressed as soon as you acknowledge that you have them. You can take time to understand your bad habits and then take steps to make sure you break them. If you do that, you’ll put yourself in a position to drive more safely and protect against injuries or fatalities.
Contact our office if you’ve been injured in an accident and one of our experienced attorneys will review your situation and work with you on ways to protect your long-term interests.